Light-Heavyweight (≤82½ kilograms), Men

American Tommy Kono had won Olympic gold in 1952 as a lightweight, but then moved up in weight and won World titles as a middleweight in 1953 and a light-heavy in 1954-55. He was world record holder in this class and as a heavy favorite in Melbourne, won the gold medal fairly easily, leading all three lifts, and breaking world records in the clean & jerk (175.0 kg) and total (447.5 kg). Behind Kono came the Soviet lifter Vasilijs Stepanovs, the 1955 European Champion who had been runner-up to Kono at the 1955 Worlds. Bronze went to Kono’s teammate Jim George, who would return in 1960 and win a silver medal in the class at Rome. George’s brother, Pete, won a silver medal as a middleweight in 1956, after having won gold in that class at Helsinki. Kono would drop back to middleweight for the 1960 Olympics and win a silver medal in that class.